Cell Phone Nightmare: Laura Benanti Stops the Show — Page 2

Sorry, I have to correct myself. The feds have a problem with that solution.

We remind and warn consumers that it is a violation of federal law to use a cell jammer or similar devices that intentionally block, jam, or interfere with authorized radio communications such as cell phones, police radar, GPS, and Wi-Fi.

https://www.fcc.gov/general/jamming-cell-phones-and-gps-equipment-against-law

There may be legal ways to block cell phone reception, but I wouldn't hold out much hope.

Although I used to leave in fear of my phone "switching itself on"- ie pressing against something whilst in my pocket- I came up with a solution which was to simply not take a phone to the theatre. It is possible to survive for a few hours.

Theatre is a communal activity, a dialogue between actors and audience, and to allow a disturbance like this is simply anti-social. Sadly, though, some people are quite comfortable with being selfishly anti-social. They deserve to be identified and dealt with.

I don't think Laura acted unprofessionally at all. Live theatre is about the exchange and interaction between the people putting on the show and the audience. If the audience is disrespectful or is keeping those involved with the show from doing their job, then how can the show go on? Actors are human beings, not holograms as someone else said. And part of being an actor is staying present and invested in the moment. It seems that the noise distracted Laura enough that she was pulled out of the moment. I'm sure if she could have just carried on, she would have. That she remained calm, said little, and promptly continued proves her professionalism to me.



Also, put me in the camp that does not accept on any level the whole, "they don't know how to turn their phone off," excuse. If you can turn it on and use it in any way, you can turn it off just as easily. Give me a break.

Updated On: 5/1/16 at 07:59 AM

"As I mentioned before many people - older ones mostly - simply do not know how to power off their cell phones. "



I consider myself an older person and my goodness age has nothing to do with turning your phone off. You can turn it off, set it to vibrate or even put it in airplane mode which is very easy. You mean to tell me older people never get on airplane or silence it at church.

Updated On: 6/17/17 at 08:32 AM

I just don't get the argument about Laura disturbing the performance. It was already disturbed. It would have taken the audience far more out of the moment if the phone had continued to ring and Laura had forgotten her words or something similar.

By the way the audience clapped, I imagine they enjoyed Laura's telling off. It's a way for people to say 'guess what happened when I went to see She Loves Me last night' rather than 'I saw She Loves Me but this scene was ruined because someones phone wouldn't stop ringing.'

I saw Big Fish in previews a few years ago and at one point Norbert stopped the show and announced to the audience that the floor was too slippery to continue and they needed to sort it out, so there was a 15 minute break. As soon as the break ended it didn't take me out of the performance at all, I went straight back into seeing Norbert as his character.

Updated On: 5/1/16 at 08:41 AM

What bothers me is when shows use the 'actor says something about the cellphone' to get press for the show- I hate that actors have to go through it, but also hate that press agents then feed the story to page six.

I think what Laura did was great, and I had I been there, I would have cheered for her and the way she handled it. As an audience member, you already get taken out of the moment by the phone ringing, and I'd much rather have the performance stop and wait for the disruption to go away or be dealt with, and then go on, then try to feel the moment that's being created on stage and try to ignore the disruption. It doesn't work! And given that this person was evidently sitting center orchestra and the ringing could be heard in the mezzanine, this was a disruption for hundreds of people, and the vast majority of people at the performance, expect maybe those in the very rear mezz and orch.

Also, the fact alone that the person let their phone ring instead of rushing to turn it off immediately after the first ring speaks volumes about everybody's expectancy that the show will go and that it's "not that bad". They rather continue to disrupt the show for everyone than to man up, admit it was them and turn it off. Because they know they can get away with it.

Stopping the show will tell them they can't. Even if the person whose phone rang in the first place is immune to the humiliation, everyone else who was there will likely be more mindful in the future because they saw what can happen. At least for a little while.



I agree about the press exploiting it being annoying (Hand To God last year...) but that's just what it, and it does bring the whole cell phone issue to the attention of people more.



Also, how can anyone not know how to turn off their phone? How do they turn it on if they ever run out of battery? It's literally the first thing in the manual when you get a new phone, even the quick guide. But if you truly don't know, just put it on silent! I never turn mine off, just silent and sometimes flight more to save battery (because terrible reception in many theaters).

KJisgroovy said: "The landscape has changed since your definition of "professionalism" was originally established. It's difficult for me to imagine Ethel Merman not doing something similar had someone brought a ringing cell phone into a matinee performance of Call Me Madam.



"



I actually heard a story of my director saying that an actor was being rude during an Ethel Merman show, and she ended up dragging him out of the audience. I don't know if it's 100% true (or if it was Ethel Merman), but Ethel Merman and a lot of other people would do this if it happened in their times.

Besides, it's important to note that cellphones interfere with the mic system, so it may ruin the experience for a lot more people since they may be unable to hear the actress onstage.

I think if it was Patti LuPone it might've been more professional, since she only stopped the person taking pictures when it was putting her in danger of misstepping somewhere and falling, and she took the person's phone in the other case. That being said, keep in mind this actress is being distracted too, so in a way the cell phone was hindering the performance in a lot of other ways.

KJisgroovy said: "The landscape has changed since your definition of "professionalism" was originally established. It's difficult for me to imagine Ethel Merman not doing something similar had someone brought a ringing cell phone into a matinee performance of Call Me Madam. "



Exactly. The landscape has changed. And this isn't going away anytime soon. It has pretty much gotten to the point where the theatre community should start shaming these people with some aggresive campaign. Out of the last 5 shows I have been to a phone went off at 4 (that I heard). People have become entitled and so attached to their smart phones. I had a lady next to me once whose phone went off and se said she didn't know how to turn it off. My reponse was " learn how to use your phone or leave it home. You are disrupting a performance." I have found most of the people who can't turn them off are people who appear to be in their late 60's and above. I always wonder if they just leave it on all the time. They evidentally know how to charge it, make a call and answer it. How in the world do they not know how to press and hold a button to turn it off and on.

It is horrible to walk into a theater wondering if a phone is going to go off and ruin a moment in a show. We pay our hard earned money to go and even if we are comped, we should not have to endure this. I am all for blocking them. I know that is tricky but I am sure a way can be found to do it. JMO

NOWaWarning said: "Also, put me in the camp that does not accept on any level the whole, "they don't know how to turn their phone off," excuse. If you can turn it on and use it in any way, you can turn it off just as easily. Give me a break."



I don't accept it as an excuse either, but I certainly believe it is true.



When I attended one of the first previews of Bright Star, sitting Orchestra G, an older woman's cell phone started ringing during one of the more emotional book scenes in the second act. It rang through one full cycle (I guess four to five rings). And then it made a sound when the caller left a voice mail. And it rang another four or five rings when the caller tried to call back. And then it started ringing yet again... It finally dawned on her that it might be her phone, and once she fumbled through her purse to get her iPhone out, she started hitting buttons to try to turn it off. At that point, mortified that everyone around me thought it was my phone, I actually asked her to give it to me and I turned it off for her. I hate to perpetuate an age stereotype, but she clearly had no idea how to turn off her phone to the point where I had to do it for her.



I truly wish Carmen Cusack would have stopped the scene while the audience member dealt with her phone. I honestly didn't hear a single word that was said on that stage, and neither did the dozens of people sitting around us who were outraged, shushing and sighing call after call after call. It was horrible.

Dollypop, forgive me of you meant your comment satirically (I really REALLY hope you did), but just in case you were serious (you can’t have been, right?), well, I have to comment.



I have been an opera lover my entire life. We listened to the Met Opera every Saturday religiously – I was listening while still in the womb. I still listen to nearly every broadcast. I’m nearly 60, and last year on a trip to New York, for the first time in my life, I finally was able to attend a performance at the Met (Ernani with Domingo and Levine conducting). This was something at the top of my bucket list. I can’t begin to tell you how thrilled I was to be in that building. I’m pretty sure I cried a little before the curtain went up.



I would never ever take a picture during a performance, and I have never taken a selfie in my life, but at intermission I went down near the stage and took a selfie of myself with the golden curtain of the Metropolitan Opera behind me. I hate, loathe and despise pictures of myself, but that is one I will always treasure. Honestly, I don’t see how my action could have been intrusive on someone else's experience there.



(And even though I’ve heard my entire life how huge the Met stage is, and have seen countless telecasts and pictures, I was still unprepared for the reality of just how enormous it is – it’s breathtaking. The image of Placido Domingo standing alone halfway up a stone stairway that filled the stage is something I will never forget. It was a singularly memorable experience.)

About a year ago I got a new cell phone, and I couldn't figure out how to turn it off, so I just left it on all the time. (It as an iPhone and holding the button at the bottom does not turn it off, it gets you Suri.) I was at the movies with my daughter who was in the bathroom just as the film started so I asked a guy nearby if he could help me turn the phone off. He did, plus he took a moment to show me where the stupid switch was.